HIGH PRAISE: Twenty-year-old Oriole Manny Machado, working out yesterday in preparation for Game 1 of the ALDS today against the Yankees, has been compared to Alex Rodriguez. Photo: AP

BALTIMORE — Alex Rodriguez is preparing to face his second coming.

Manny Machado, the Orioles’ 20-year-old third baseman, is Alex 2.0.

Machado not only is a mirror image of A-Rod, but he also is a protégé of the Yankees superstar. Machado, who called A-Rod his “favorite player growing up,” has worked out in Miami with Rodriguez in the offseason, wears No. 13 in his honor and received advice from him on transitioning from shortstop to third base.

“I came up idolizing Cal Ripken. Now he’s over there in the same position that Cal was at,” Rodriguez said before the Yankees face the Orioles today in Game 1 of the ALDS.

“There’s some irony there. But Manny’s a great kid. He’s a Miami kid. I wish him the best. Just not too much this series.”

Like Rodriguez, Machado was one of the top picks in the draft (he went third overall to the Orioles in 2010, and Rodriguez went first overall to the Mariners in 1993) and was a shortstop until moving to third.

There’s more: Both Rodriguez and Machado are 6-foot-3 (Rodriguez outweighs Machado by 40 pounds, 225 to 185, but Rodriguez is 17 years older) and hit right-handed.

“Ever since I picked up a bat,” Machado said, “I was [imitating] A-Rod.”

While Rodriguez has had a spectacular and historic career, the dazzling Machado is only beginning to ascend — looking comfortable at the plate, delivering important hits and playing a terrific third base. Until shortly before his promotion to the majors on Aug. 9, he had been a shortstop.

In his 51 games in the majors after being summoned from Double-A, Machado hit .262 with seven homers, 26 RBIs and a .739 OPS, but his excellence goes beyond that.

Having only turned 20 in July, his performance down the stretch opened plenty of eyes — his big moments included two homers against Toronto on Sept. 26, a homer and two RBIs against the Red Sox on Sept. 29 and an RBI single in Friday’s wild-card victory over the Rangers.

Added Rodriguez: “What he’s been able to do at 20 years old just makes me very proud of him.”

Machado’s age, talent and late-season production are reminiscent of Miguel Cabrera with the Marlins in 2003. As a 20-year-old, Cabrera hit .268 with 12 homers and a .793 OPS in 87 games before adding four more homers in the postseason (one against the Yankees) to help Florida to the World Series.

Machado is trying to do the same, starting tonight against his idol — and his mentor.